Greek Theatre saga continues: Council rejects Live Nation proposal

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The future of the Greek Theatre remains in limbo after the Los Angeles City Council rejected a proposal from Live Nation to run the venue.

The 11-3 vote on Wednesday is the latest in months of heated negotiations that, so far, have gotten no closer to deciding who will operate the site.

For two years, Live Nation has been working on a proposal to take over the iconic theater from the current concert promoter, Nederlander and AEG.

The city's Recreation and Parks Department told the council last October that Live Nation was the best deal for the city.

"Everyone selected Live Nation based on the facts. More money, more shows, more improvements to the Greek Theatre and an overall community program to put more money in for the residents of the city of Los Angeles," Joe Berchtold of Live Nation told the council.

But now, it's time to start over. Both concert promoters say they'll spend millions giving the Greek a much-needed facelift.

"Under our stewardship, the Greek Theatre is now the largest single revenue generator for the Department of Recreations and Parks. Our success has been built on working with the best people and becoming part of the surrounding community," said Jimmy Nederlander of Nederlander/AEG.

Nederlander gained strong support from the neighborhoods surrounding the Greek, saying they like the way Nederlander has treated them.

But the idea of starting over struck a sour note with some council members.

"Calling out all businesses, come to Los Angeles, apply for a contract. Be a part of the request for proposal. But at the bottom of the ninth inning, (rips paper) there's your proposal," said Councilman Joe Buscaino.

Even though it's up to Nederlander and Live Nation to win who runs the theater for the next 20 years, city council already indicated lawsuits are going to come out of this, so it may be a judge who decides who runs the iconic venue.